CU Men's Lacrosse Preview - vs. Hartwick College (3/18)

After getting buried by snow and having a game cancelled on Wednesday, the Clarkson University Men's Lacrosse team is ready to return to the turf to take on Hartwick College on Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Knights are 5-2 all-time against Hartwick, though the rivalry was only renewed last year after a 21-year hiatus. Clarkson came away with a 14-6 win against the Hawks in 2016 thanks to three goals from Ryan St. Croix.

The Golden Knights suffered their first loss of the season a week ago, dropping a 13-8 decision to Nazareth at the Carrier Dome, but they are 3-1 heading into a three-game home stretch over the next eight days. Hartwick has also lost only once in 2017 and enters the game at 2-1.

Clarkson is getting a fair amount of offensive production from its senior class as Ryan DaRin, Kyle Brown and Ryan St. Croix rank first, third and fourth, respectively, on the team in scoring. DaRin, the Liberty League Offensive Performer of the Week, has 14 points thanks to 12 goals and a pair of assists, while Brown (10 points on seven goals and three assists) and St. Croix (nine points on six goals and three assists) aren't far behind. Freshman Conor Bartlett has also done a fine job of finding his teammates, leading the team with six assists to go along with six goals of his own. The Knights have been active with the ball on the ground, leading their opponents 116-93 in that category. Freshman Ryan Gabriel leads the team with 14 groundballs thanks to a 39-27 record on faceoffs, while Mark Uhlig and Nate Smart have each chipped in 11. Smart ranks second on the team with four caused turnovers, trailing only defenseman Justin Gibson's eight. Nick Strandholm has seen all but 30 minutes of time in the Clarkson crease, and the senior has posted a save percentage of 55.7% to go along with an 8.86 goals against average.

Hartwick is coached by former Clarkson assistant Don LaSala, and he already has the Hawks halfway to their 2016 win total. Sam Ferguson is the team's top goal scorer with seven tallies in three games, but Jake Sachse, who had a pair of goals against the Knights in 2016's contest, leads the team in points with three goals and five assists. Wyatt Long also has chipped in six points with five goals and an assist. Eric Schweitzer is active on defense with eight caused turnovers and 30 groundballs in just three games, while Garrison Wojtas has also produced 10 groundballs and five caused turnovers. James Vogt is winning nearly 60% of his faceoffs (24-for-41) for the Hawks, while Connor O'Brien is allowing just 7.33 goals per game in the Hartwick crease.

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Players Mentioned

#37 Kyle Brown: M; 6' 1"; Senior

#17 Ryan DaRin: A; 5' 10"; Senior

#44 Justin Gibson: D; 6' 4"; Senior

#3 Nate Smart: M; 5' 10"; Senior

#7 Ryan St. Croix: M; 6' 3"; Senior

#4 Nick Strandholm: GK; 6' 0"; Senior

#1 Mark Uhlig: M; 5' 11"; Junior

#2 Conor Bartlett: M; 5' 7"; Freshman

#21 Ryan Gabriel: M; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#37 Kyle Brown
: 6' 1"; Senior
: M

#17 Ryan DaRin
: 5' 10"; Senior
: A

#44 Justin Gibson
: 6' 4"; Senior
: D

#3 Nate Smart
: 5' 10"; Senior
: M

#7 Ryan St. Croix
: 6' 3"; Senior
: M

#4 Nick Strandholm
: 6' 0"; Senior
: GK

#1 Mark Uhlig
: 5' 11"; Junior
: M

#2 Conor Bartlett
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: M

#21 Ryan Gabriel
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: M